Heroes
by Deandra
Summary: Elfwine wants to learn to be a Ranger. ONESHOT. Part 63 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


_**Part 63 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.**_

_**A/N: Despite what it says in the story, Elfwine is only nine even though the other boys are already ten. Eomer just lumps them all together as ten-year-olds.**_

**Heroes**

**(Oct, 10 IV)**

Taking a seat at the table for the noon meal, Eomer announced to his eldest son, Elfwine, "I have heard from Faramir. He will have some time available for us to come visit so you can learn Ranger skills as you requested. We will leave in three weeks."

Elfwine's face beamed at this news, then he asked, "Elboron and Eldarion will come too?"

Eomer shook his head regretfully, "I am not sure about Eldarion. Aragorn was not certain he could get away long enough to join us, but perhaps he will let Eldarion come on his own."

There was a moment of silence and Elfwine appeared to be thinking. Finally, he looked up at his father and queried, "Could we maybe take Freawine with us, Papa? I know he would like to learn to be a Ranger also."

Eomer's eyes met his wife's and they smiled. Elfwine and Freawine had been as close as brothers virtually their entire lives, a circumstance encouraged by Elfwine being an only child for seven years. Even though he now had a sister and a brand new baby brother, it had not diminished the boys' relationship any.

"We can speak to Freawine's parents and see if they are agreeable to his coming," Eomer consented, and it was all Elfwine could do to remain at the table until the meal was finished.

xx

Three weeks later, the small party left Edoras, to farewell waves from Lothiriel and Freawine's family, and tears of protest from Theodwyn, who was very upset at not being allowed to join them.

The early fall weather was pleasant, and Eomer was grateful for an excuse to be on horseback and out riding, instead of trapped behind a desk indoors. Elfwine and Freawine didn't stop talking the entire time, planning adventures, trying to guess what all Faramir would teach them and laughing excitedly at the prospect before them. At night, it was difficult to get the two of them to settle down enough to sleep. Only when Eomer pointed out that Rangers took full advantage of opportunities to sleep, not knowing when the next chance would come, did they really put much effort into at least lying quietly even if slumber did not readily take them.

The first night out, Eothain had chuckled when Eomer rejoined him by the fire after trying to get the boys bedded down. "Reminds me a great deal of us as children, Eomer! Though, I suspect they are far better behaved than we ever were! At least, that is what my father has led me to believe – that you and I were terrors with our mischief!"

Eomer laughed, "Theoden seemed to share that view! But then I do not think he realized how much Theodred aided us in our escapades, even initiating some of them! These two are, indeed, relatively well-behaved. It is just their excitement that is their undoing."

Changing the subject, Eothain inquired, "Is Aragorn sending Eldarion? The boys will be disappointed if he does not join them."

Eomer nodded, "He is. Even though he could not manage to escape his own cage, he saw no reason to have his son miss out. He sent him to Ithilien with Faramir when he departed. This ought to be interesting – me and Faramir out in the woods with four ten-year-old boys! Orcs I can handle, but children..."

Eothain roared with laughter, "Aye! I do not envy you!"

xx

Within the week, they were riding into Faramir's yard. Elboron and Eldarion tumbled out the front door, racing excitedly to greet their friends, and Eomer had to remind the boys to see to their horses before going off to play.

Faramir and Eowyn waited on the porch to greet Eomer ere he took Firefoot to the stables also. Rejoining his sister and her family, they caught up on recent events until it was time to eat.

Over supper that night, Faramir outlined the planned excursion. As they were to leave early the next morning, the boys were sent off to bed shortly after they ate. The parents knew it would take awhile before any sleeping got done, so it was best to begin the process as soon as possible.

The next morning, Eowyn arose and ventured out into the pre-dawn light to bid them farewell. It had been decided that Eothain and his men would trail along behind the "Ranger" party, but stay out of sight. They would be readily available if circumstances required it, but otherwise the six would be on their own. Faramir intended to use this fact as part of what he would show the boys.

There was so much giggling and laughter initially, that they could have been heard easily by any "enemy". Faramir gave them an hour to get it out of their system before advising them that Rangers largely traveled in silence, and spoke in hushed tones if there was any concern about being overheard or their presence made known. When he enforced this silence rule, it was clear the boys were hard pressed to keep quiet for such a long period of time.

As the morning progressed, Faramir showed them the tracks of various animals and ways to find water. Their lunch was a couple of rabbits that Faramir shot with arrows, and Eomer helped show the boys how to build a fire and cook the rabbits over it. After they had eaten, and removed evidence of their campsite, Eomer took off as the "prey" while Faramir and the boys tracked him. More than once he was able to elude them, but he kept them in sight and doubled back if they began to get too far off track. Faramir would guide and teach them, but he let them make mistakes and then when they lost the trail would help them go back and discover where they had made the wrong turn.

That night, they camped alongside a small river and the boys tried their hand at spear fishing. Even though he had never done much of this himself, Eomer's skill with a spear made him adept at it and he soon had snared sufficient for their supper. Eldarion was the only other one to catch anything, Faramir having left it up to his pupils to provide the meal.

Instead of tents, they each built a lean-to to sleep under. It was arranged that they would stand guard in shifts, Eomer taking the first watch with Elfwine and Freawine, and Faramir taking the second with the other two. Although the men kept watch all night, the boys only stayed with Eomer for an hour before they were allowed to go to bed, and Faramir got his two up an hour before they were to all arise.

The second day followed much the same pattern as the first. That night, as they sat around the fire talking, Faramir sipped at his tea, then asked Elfwine, "So, nephew, why this great interest in learning to be a Ranger?"

Elfwine grinned, answering enthusiastically, "I have been learning about the War and all the deeds of King Elessar. He was a Ranger and you were a Ranger in Ithilien. I think Rangers must be the greatest warriors there are!"

The other three boys nodded agreement with this assessment, and Faramir watched them with a bemused expression. At length, he observed, "I will not deny that my Ithilien Rangers were great warriors, and the best of men. Nor can I deny the mighty deeds done by the Ranger from the North, Aragorn. But I think perhaps you look too far afield if you wish to find great warriors to emulate, Elfwine."

The four boys gave each other curious looks, wondering if anyone understood what he meant, and Eomer's eyes narrowed as he studied his brother-in-law in the firelight.

Giving up trying to ascertain Faramir's meaning, Elfwine asked him to explain. Taking another swallow of tea, he told them, "It was not only Rangers that won the War of the Ring, though they certainly played their part. It was mostly soldiers of Gondor and Riders of Rohan who faced an overwhelming enemy on the Pelennor Fields. Those men looked at a staggering number of adversaries, and did not flinch. Those men went pale at the sight of Oliphaunts and Nazgul, who were destroying everything in their paths, and then they raised their swords and fought. And those who survived the nightmare, got patched up at the Houses of Healing, then took up sword and shield and marched on the Black Gate. They did not expect to survive such a thing, yet they raised their swords nonetheless in hopes that our world could be saved by their deaths."

Faramir fell silent and Eomer choked down a lump in his throat. He had not thought much about those battles the last few years, and he found it still affected him.

Lest the boys not be clear on his point, Faramir was explicit, "If you wish to emulate a great warrior, Elfwine, you need only look to your own father, and you to your father, Freawine. Both did their part and fought bravely. You could not wish for a better example of a warrior."

The boys were silent as they contemplated these words. Though each had known their own fathers fought in the War, it had never quite been brought home to them in this way before. Even Elboron was on this venture mostly because of Elfwine, and both were thinking more of Aragorn's Ranger skills than Faramir's. Eldarion was thinking of Faramir's part, a tale he had heard often, rather than attributing great deeds to his father.

With new awareness, Elfwine turned admiring eyes on his father, and moved over to sit next to him. As the boys looked up, subdued by this lesson they had not expected, Faramir suggested, "Perhaps I should tell you the deeds of some of these great warriors and let you judge for yourselves."

The boys eagerly murmured assent to this plan, but before Faramir could begin, Eomer interjected, "And I will tell you some of the tales I know about men of Gondor, and the White Lady of Rohan. They, too, played an important part."

The mens' eyes met in understanding, and slowly the tales began to emerge.

THE END

2-19-06

**_End note:  It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content._**


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